Pash (9 September 1950 – 23 March 1988) was the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Avtar Singh Sandhu, one of the major poets in the Punjabi literature of the 1970s. He was killed by extremists on 23 March 1988. His strongly left-wing views were reflected in his poetry.

Early life and activism

Pash was born as Avtar Singh Sandhu in 1950 in a small village called ''Talwandi Salem'' in Jalandhar district of Punjab, in a middle-class farmers family. His father Sohan Singh Sandhu was a soldier in the Indian army who also composed poetry as a hobby. Pash grew up in the midst of the Naxalite movement, a

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

movement waged in Punjab against the landlords, industrialists, traders, etc. who control the means of production. This was in the midst of the Green revolution which had addressed India's problem of

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

using high yield crops, but had also unconsciously led to other forms of inequities in Punjab. In 1970, he published his first book of revolutionary poems, ''Loh-Katha'' (''Iron Tale''), at the age of 18. His militant and provocative tone raised the ire of the establishment and a murder charge was soon brought against him. He spent nearly two years in jail, before being finally acquitted. On acquittal, the 22-year-old became involved in Punjab's Maoist front, editing a literary magazine, ''Siarh'' (''The Plow Line'') and in 1973 Pash founded 'Punjabi Sahit Te Sabhiachar Manch' (Punjabi Literature and Culture Forum). He became a popular political figure on the Left during this period and was awarded a fellowship at the Punjabi Academy of Letters in 1985. He ran to the United Kingdom and the United States the following year; while in the U.S., he became involved with the Anti-47 Front, opposing Khalistani violence. His words had a great influence on the minds of the people.

Assassination

At the beginning of 1988 Pash was in Punjab for the renewal of his visa from the United States. A day before leaving for Delhi, however, he was gunned down by three men along with his friend Hans Raj at the well in his village Talwandi Salem on 23 March 1988. Pash deserves all the audience that can come his way. He has paved the way for revolutionaries with his poems finding spaces in protests and marches till date. Pash was assassinated by the militants for being a vocal critic of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Literary works

*''Loh-katha'' (''Iron-Tale'') (1970), *''Uddade Bazan Magar'' (''Following The Flying Hawks'') (1973), *''Saadey Samiyaan Vich'' (''In Our Times'') (1978), and *''Khilre Hoye Varkey'' (''Scattered pages'') (1989) ''Khilre Hoey Varkey'' was posthumously published in 1989 after his death, followed by his journals and letters. A selection of his poems in

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

, ''Inkar'', was published in Lahore in 1997. His poems have been translated in many languages including other Indian languages,

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

and English. Poems written by Pash are popular in India, especially in Punjab and North India. Recitations of his poems are often carried out, especially on the weekends close to his death anniversary.

Sabh Ton Khatarnaak

One of Pash's most popular and often cited poems is titled ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਸਾਡੇ ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਮਰ ਜਾਣਾ। सबसे ख़तरनाक होता है हमारे सपनों का मर जाना (Sabse Khatarnak hota hai hamare sapnon ka mar jaana - meaning: ''The most dangerous thing is the demise of our dreams''). In 2005, this poem was included in NCERT's Hindi book for 11th standard.

References

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